DPH issues health alert for gay men traveling to NYC

NEWS

by Tom Kilduff

Gay men planning to travel to New York City are being
advised by San Francisco public health officials to get vaccinated against meningococcal
meningitis.

San Francisco health officials released a health advisory
for Bay Area men who have sex with men December 7 to take extra care when
traveling to New York City this winter. A meningitis outbreak has infected 12
MSM in the New York City area in the past year, including three individuals within
the last six weeks.

The official name of this cluster is invasive meningococcal
disease (IMD), a bacterial strain discrete from the recent fungal meningitis
outbreak that originated from a Massachusetts pharmacy.

According to the New York City Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene, "Three of four IMD cases who died were HIV-infected."

Dr. Susan Philip, director of STD Prevention and Control
Services at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, wasted no time in
informing the local gay community.

"The symptoms and onset can vary from person to
person," Philip told the Bay Area Reporter. "The initial symptoms of IMD can include fever, nausea, muscle
aches, headache, confusion, neck stiffness, and body rash. The onset of
symptoms is typically rapid, and a healthy person can become very severely ill
due to this infection within 24 hours."

What's interesting is that none of the reported cases have
popped up in Manhattan but have manifested in various neighborhoods around
Brooklyn, including Williamsburg, Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge
Overpass) and Prospect Heights, according to a news release from the New York
City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Philip emphasized that "there
have been no cases or increase in cases that have been seen in San
Francisco."

Transmission of meningitis is easier than sexually
transmitted diseases and its symptoms are more pernicious. Kissing, sharing
utensils, sharing cigarettes or drinks, and living in close quarters are all
viable ways of passing on this bacterial meningitis, according to the DPH
advisory. The serious illness stems from fast-moving bacteria found in saliva
or mucus that can infect the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It
can also cause an infection of the blood. Even if diagnosed early and treated
with antibiotics, it can still sometimes result in death, permanent brain
damage, hearing loss, or kidney failure, the DPH advisory stated.

For now, health officials in San Francisco suggest that if
you are planning to meet a sex partner at a New York City bar or club or via an
online hookup site, that you consider getting vaccinated for IMD, especially if
you are HIV-positive.

Men can ask their primary care physicians about the
vaccination or Philip said that people can purchase the vaccine at the health
department's Adult Immunization Clinic.

"The vaccine is either given by an injection just under
the skin of the arm or in the muscle," Philip said. "Either way, the
vaccine is generally well tolerated."

According to the DPH advisory, most adults gain protection
with a single injection of the meningitis vaccine. Some adults, including those
with HIV or other causes of weakened immune function, are recommended to
receive a total of two injections of the vaccine spaced two months apart, in
order to achieve protection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, vaccination is 80 percent to 90 percent effective in preventing
meningococcal disease.